The Power of Music (For the Love of Broadway and Musicals)

Tonight, after work, I was sitting in the front of the store listening to the soundtrack for Rent via YouTube, specifically, Light My Candle. As I was enjoying the musical story of a young girl addicted to crack trying to flirt with her upstairs neighbor, I simultaneously watched people flow in and out of the grocery store. I heard two babies crying for candy, I saw teenagers in plaid laughing and joking around, I witnessed old men shuffle from the Deli to the registers, and all of a sudden, it happened: my brain transformed a busy, chaotic store into a Broadway scene with a million stories being told all at the same time.

Prior to this, I knew music had the power to take people on journeys, but I never knew it felt like this. So vibrant, so alive, so wondrous. The colors of the produce seemed brighter, the people, more energetic and purposeful, and the sound of money being put into the register seemed more like a victorious war cry than a symbol of sore feet and deferred dreams.

Maybe I’m reading more into this than I should, but it was a beautiful moment, and Rent is a beautiful musical. You should watch it; it’s on Netflix. Maybe you’ll discover something new, or fall in love with music all over again, or for the first time in a different way. I hope so.

Broadway songs have the power to whisk you away into the world of the characters. The characters come to mind when I am listening to the songs. I think of the characters or character who sings the song. Musical Theatre characters have a wonderful way to express their emotions through song